BELAGAVI
Rising onion supplies and falling prices may bring more relief to consumers in Goa.
Due to higher supplies from the onion growing belts of Lasalgaon, Narayangaon and Nasik, prices of onion which were stable for over two months are expected to come down in markets across Goa.
Onions were being sold at a cheaper rate of Rs 15-18 a kilo in the retail market in Belagavi.
Moreover, the quality of onions is also good as there were no unseasonal rains in January and February, unlike last year when unseasonal rains had affected the quality and harvest.
According to traders at the APMC wholesale onion market, the ban on export of onions and a good yield has resulted in rising supplies every day.
While about 100 trucks of onion had arrived earlier this week, about 60 trucks arrived on Saturday. Almost half the onion stock that arrives from Maharashtra is sent to Goa, traders said.
“Prices of onion are stable for a long period this year due to the good yield of the crop in the onion growing belt of Maharashtra. Every day, the supplies are rising which is resulting in falling of the prices that were steady since February this year. Today, wholesale rates of onion were between Rs 8 to Rs 12 per kilo. If the supplies rise, the rates are likely to come down further,” Sambhajirao Hongekar, a wholesaler told The Goan.
On the other hand, farmers have expressed concern over the falling prices and appealed to the government to restart the export of onions as they are incurring heavy losses.
“Last year around this time, we were getting better rates as supplies were less due to exports. However, with the rate that we are getting, it has become difficult for us to recover our harvesting and transport cost,” a farmer from Lasalgaon who regularly brings onion to APMC wholesale market here lamented.
